A battery cell has been proposed as a clean, efficient and environmentally responsible power source for electric vehicles and various other applications. One type of battery cell is known as a lithium-ion battery cell. The lithium-ion battery cell is rechargeable and can be formed into a wide variety of shapes and sizes so as to efficiently fill available space in an electric vehicle. A plurality of individual lithium-ion battery cells can be provided in a battery pack to provide an amount of power sufficient to operate the vehicle. Typically, in order to provide a high power density in an efficient package, a large number of battery cells (often much greater than 10) is packaged within an individual battery pack.
Various arrangements are employed to mount the battery pack within the vehicle. Prior art arrangements require a vehicle body having significant strength and mass to support the battery pack in its entirety. Other arrangements can only be used to mount a battery pack that can support its own weight. Therefore, there is a continuing need for an arrangement to mount the battery pack within the vehicle, which can be employed to mount a variety of battery packs in a variety of vehicle bodies.
It would be desirable to develop a mounting arrangement for a battery pack in a vehicle, wherein an effort and cost of manufacturing the vehicle is minimized, and an accessibility, cooling, and protection of the battery pack is maximized.